[in French] First, you need to know...
it is a cartel.
Or we say it's like...
a communist regime.
Or a regime of terror.
Or a bit like the mafia.
No one can stop...
the Federation of Maple Syrup Producers.
They took all my syrup.
They started taking our right to speak.
The Federation owes us a lot of money.
They will turn us all into criminals.
[Angèle Grenier in French] The Federation has labeled me a "rebel of the system."
Yes, I rebel.
I fight so producers can regain their freedom from this mafia.
Sûreté du Québec,
[Luc Briand in French] While we were inspecting the barrels,
we noticed one had a ring of rust.
Syrup does not sweat.
Even if it's cold,
it's not like a glass of water that leaves a ring on the table.
We started opening barrels.
They were filled with water.
[in French] I've told everything to my lawyer and the investigators,
so I've got nothing to say.
-[speaking French]
[Grenier in French] I've always had a dream that my husband and I
would be able to retire peacefully in our own sugar bush.
When I started with syrup production, the Federation already existed.
Until 2000, I didn't have any issues.
Then the Federation prepared to take power.
The Federation started an exclusive selling agency
so that we can't sell elsewhere.
It is written in the Federation's regulations,
the sap that runs in my maple trees belongs to them.
I can tell you that up to 90% of producers were against the new system.
We knew we were losing our freedom.
So there was nothing to stop me from fighting.
It's a fight for everyone
to have the right to sell outside of the system of Québec.
It's the Federation or freedom.
THE FARMERS ARE ORGANIZING
[in French]
It's harassment and intimidation.
It's one legal battle after another. I have a stack at my house.
It's like I'm in purgatory.
[indistinct chatter]
[St. Pierre in French] I was the only one in New Brunswick
to start buying maple syrup and exporting it in the US and Europe.
I was buying from big shots like Richard Vallières,
but I have small producers who sell to me, too.
One day, Angèle Grenier said, "I can sell you syrup."
She was frustrated with the Federation.
I think they owed her a lot of money.
The system in Québec,
it's like...
a prostitute market.
The producers work very hard,
but it's the Federation that is paid very nice salaries.
[in French] The Federation says it's a black market,
but it isn't a black market.
I have a license from Ottawa, and in Ottawa it's a free market.
I didn't sign any contract with this syndicate,
so I will fight until the end.
[Grenier] Okay, now you put it all at once.
Okay. I'm going to stir it a little.
Okay, Katrina.
You'll see, it's going to turn into sugar.
-[Katrina] A trio of three. -A trio of three.
Since I didn't want to conform to their regulations,
they fined me $50,000.
We had several lawyers at the beginning,
but they only thought of how much they could make.
But then we arrived at Hans Mercier, and he really wanted to fight the battle.
[Briand in French] The Federation's drivers
always use these specific forklifts,
because they do not leave a mark.
But the empty barrels we found had marks on the sides.
We could see this was caused by a forklift.
[speaking French]
[Grenier in French] It was a Sunday, and I was working in the sugar bush.
And I realized that, on the road, there was a car stopped.
[camera shutter clicking]
I was being filmed.
It was a private investigator from the Federation.
[indistinct chatter]
[in French] You're going to wake up somewhere
and you're going to get straightened out.
[in French] We want to break up this monopoly, the UPA.
[indistinct chatter]
[Urbain in French] A photo with Granddad.
[speaking French]
THE MAPLE SYRUP MAFIA HIT
FEDERATION PRESIDENT'S SUGAR SHACK BURNS
FIRE AT PIERRE LEMIEUX'S SUGAR SHACK IS OF CRIMINAL ORIGIN
[ship horn blowing]
[interrogator in French] So you can just sit in the back, Sébastien.
Have you had any promises or threats from anyone for doing this?
-No promises. -Okay.
Obviously, they told me it wouldn't hurt my cause,
but no promises.
That's a fact. It's called collaboration in the investigation.
[Jutras] Avik Caron.
I knew people who sold syrup because I was shipping syrup.
[interrogator] Okay.
So he told me, I have some syrup to sell.
I didn't know where it came from.
He asked, "Could you give me your guy's number?"
So I gave him Richard Vallières' number.
Then I saw the barrels.
1+1=2.
I understood.
Because they were making you deliver syrup elsewhere?
[interrogator] Okay.
I understood what was going on.
[St. Pierre in French] They seized everything, all my syrup.
Then they seized all of the business documents.
They closed my bank accounts.
They said I plotted, but I never plotted.
Richard just called me and he asked me if I wanted syrup.
And I said yes.
The police told me it was all regarding the theft,
but it wasn't just for the theft. I think it was to stop my business.
The Federation doesn't like it when anybody else does business.
For them, it's all about controlling the syrup. 100%.
[Grenier in French] I followed the maple syrup heist from beginning to end.
I've always wanted to support
people who are in a situation similar to mine,
because I know how hard it is.
And I understand them.
For Richard, I think this was his way to protest against the Federation,
but I think maybe he got carried away.
[Grenier in French] What I can say about this whole thing is that
the Federation managed to turn
buyers into criminals.
Here in Québec, drugs are decriminalized,
but they have criminalized maple syrup.
Which is more dangerous for people?
When you've known someone for 15 years,
you know that they are honest.
They're just trying to make a living with maple syrup.
I find this very hard for Mr. St. Pierre.
Like us, all he wanted to do was retire peacefully.
When all this started in 2002, I was still hopeful for my retirement,
because we thought we would win in five to ten years,
and then things would be sorted out.
But things didn't happen the way we wanted them to happen.
Right now, as far as my retirement goes, it is non-existent.
[Grenier in French] I don't think too much about the future.
Because thinking about the future makes me sick.
Why bankrupt people like this?
Why not let us live?
We are going to lose all of our freedom.